Dear Parents and Friends,
Today is the Feast of St Joseph, spouse of Mary the Mother of Jesus. St Joseph has been described as the silent man of the Gospels in line with the great men of faith of the Old Testament – a just man and a righteous man of integrity. St Joseph is recognised as the patron saint of fathers and families, of bursars and manual workers; especially carpenters.
Change to Morning Assemblies and Awards Presentations
In line with health advice to restrict assemblies, from Monday next week, the practice of conducting morning assembly will be suspended until further notice. Students will place their bags in the class/grade line up areas that they usually go to after recess and lunch and will assemble there as soon as the 9am bell sounds. Teachers will be there to meet their classes and take them straight inside. We will then conduct the usual assembly messaging over the PA system. We will be practising this new procedure with the whole school tomorrow so that students know what to do on Monday morning. The afternoon pick-up procedure will remain unchanged at this point in time.
With regard to presenting Veritas and Best Awards, I will present these to students in front of their classes so that the students still receive acknowledgement and congratulations from their peers and teachers. Unfortunately, this means that the practice of notifying parents prior to the Best Awards will stop as the awards can’t be presented at an assembly where parents can attend due to the suspension of these in the current health situation that we are facing. I thank parents for your understanding in these matters at this difficult time that we are all learning to navigate.
Morning ‘Power of half an hour’ sessions
We kindly ask that parents who park on the courts in the morning, move cars from the space as quickly as possible. This is to ensure that classes taking part in sport, fitness and activity sessions at the start of the school day have a safe space in which to exercise and to prevent vehicles being damaged by sporting equipment that might go awry! Should parents need to stay a while longer, the parking spaces in front of the hall and the gravel bay beside the hall are available for long stay parking. We thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Arriving safely at school
If your child rides or walks to school alone, or catches a bus for the first time, and you are concerned about whether they have arrived safely at school, we are more than happy for your child to come to the front office to phone and speak with you once they have arrived.
Rule Reminders
Toys at school: We ask that children leave their toys at home and only play with equipment provided by the school; with the exception of hand balls that are labelled with a name. This is to ensure that ‘personal treasures’ do not become lost or damaged at school. It is also to keep everyone safe as some toys are not ‘playground friendly’.
Long hair: If a child’s hair is long enough to touch the shoulders, it needs to be tied back. This is to prevent the spread of head lice and to keep hair out of eyes as well as to ensure a neat and tidy appearance.
Hats: Children need to be wearing the uniform hat at all times whilst outside. Please ensure that your child is wearing a hat upon arrival to school in the morning.
In these sobering times it is good to remember:
“The most wasted day of all is that on which we have not laughed.”
Nicholas Chamfort
REPEAT NOTICES:
Harmony Day and Ride/Walk to School Day
Tomorrow, we will be celebrating Harmony Day at school to celebrate Australia’s cultural diversity. Harmony Week is about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. It’s a time to reflect on the importance of respecting each other and our differences. Our shared Australian values of respect, equality and freedom go beyond our different cultures, and are what make Australia such a great place to live. Of course, the message of respect and belonging can be lived by each of us, every day, not just during Harmony Week.
Students may wear an orange coloured item of clothing to school – not the whole outfit but a T-shirt, shorts or accessory to share the message that ‘everyone belongs’.
It is also Ride or Walk to School Day tomorrow. Students may walk, cycle or scoot to school together after meeting supervising teachers at the Watson Shops at 8.30am. Parents are most welcome to accompany the students and teachers.
Catholic Schools Enrolment Period For All Catholic Schools
The Catholic Schools Enrolment Period is from Monday 4 May – Friday 22 May (Weeks 2 – 4 inclusive, Term 2) for students commencing in 2021. If you know of anyone outside of our school community who has a child at a Pre-school or Early Learning Centre, please notify them of the opportunity to enrol at Rosary Primary School during the above period.
Vicky van der Sanden